Track-link construction.



W. TURNBULL.

TRACK LINK CONSTRUCTION.

APPLICATION FILED m4. H. mm.

1,258,608. Patented Mar. 5, 1918.

In: \iiilll m QJI' ummlll WITNESSES: r?! #1 0 INVENTOR 5 23 M WZZZzm fz'zrizzzz? AmIIII.

UNITED STATES PATENT oF Ion mum 117mm, OI STOCKTON, QJLIIOBNIA, ASSIGI'OZ "1'0 m HOLT TUBING CODA, OI STOCKTON, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION 01' caurourm.

' max-m OOISTBUCTIOH.

n mu n r m mm- Patented mar. 5, 1618.

Application filed January 11, 1a17. mm Io. 111,111.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM Tmmsum, a citizen of the United States, residing at Stockton, in the county of San Joaquin and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Track-Link Construction, of which the following is a speci-' fication.

This invention relates to a construction'of links for self-laying tracks employed in tractors and similar vehicles.

For some character of uses the link shoe may be comparatively small and need not project beyond the sides of the link, while for other uses a shoe of increased supporting areais required. In'the present invention I provide a link with a main shoe preferablycast on the side bars and so arran ed as to form a seat for a supplemental s oe detachably connectible therewith, said supplemental shoe projecting at opposite sides of the main shoe and forming a ground-engaging member of increased supporting area.

One form which my invention 'may assume is exemplified in the following description and illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which igure 1 shows a perspective view of a link havin a main shoe cast thereon.

Fig. 2 s ows aside elevation of a'plurality of links of this character interconnected.

Fig. 3 shows a similar view from the opposite side of said links.

Fig. 4 shows a vertical, central, longitudinal; sectional view of said interconnected links on line 4-4 of Fig. 5 to which have been applied the supplemental shoes.

Fi 5 shows a sectional view, taken on the line 5-5 of Fi 4.

Fig. 6 shows a etail sectional view of a a journal pin for connecting adjacent links to ether.

n the drawings, a track link is shown as comprisin spaced side bars 10, with gudgeon bloc ll-forming the teeth of the chain track and also serving as hearings to receive the journal pins 12 for connecting adjacent links together. The side bars have flanges 13, at their inner longitudinal ed es, formin mils for the roller truck mec anism o the su ported vehicle. Extending between the si e bars, at the .upper longitudinal edges, is a cast shoe or-tread 14,

. portion of the main shoe, as shown in of suitable form, with turned-up sides 15 terminating slightly to one side of the 10 and in vertical line with the outer edges of the rails 13. One end 16 of each shoe is" preferably extended to overlap the adjacent I. end of the shoe of the connecting link, whereby to close the space between the links. Transverse ribs 17 are formed upon the bottom of the shoe 14' for ground-engaging purposes. The side bars 10 are made with openings 18 to permit forcing out of mud and dilil't {1y the sprocket teeth of the driving w ee Beneath the rail heads 13 are bosses 19 o spanningrthe space between the side bars and the turned-up sides of the shoe. The link and shoe described thus-far is complete for ordinary purposes, but under extraordinary conditions where the ground is soft a shoe of increased support area will be required and I provide supp emental shoes 20 ada ted to fit over the main shoes 14 and be hel in place thereon bv means of.bolts 21 extending through the openings in the bosses 19 and secured in place by nuts lying partially within the openings 18 in the side bars. The supplemental shoes, preferably, are of ressed metal construction and shaped to con cm to the contour of the main shoes, but are of increased supporting area, being extended some distance to either side of the main shoe and link, as shown in Fig. 5. The ends 23 of the supplemental shoes are spaced from the face of the ad'acent .4, whereby the adjacent ends of the two s fioes may be overlapped and interpoa'tioned.

Various chan es in the construction and arrangement 0 the several parts herein shown and described may be employed without departing from the spirit of my inven tion as disclosed in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. A link for endless, flexible, self-laying tracks, comprising spaced side bars ha a bottom plate extending between them an east integrally therewith, said bottom plate forming a main shoe for engagement with the ground, a supplemental shoe of larger ground-engaging area adapted to seat against said ttom. late, and means for detachabl securing e supplemental shoe in place t ereon;

2. A link for endless, flexible, self-laying tracks having a main shoe castthereon terminating substantially in line with the exterior sides of the link and forming a seat for a supplemental shoe of larger area.

3. A link for endless, flexible, self-laying tracks having a main shoe cast thereon terminating substantially in line with the exterior sides of thelink and forminga seat for a supplemental shoe of larger area, and a ressed metal, supplemental shoe detachab y secured in place on said cast shoe and projecting beyond the sides thereof.

4. A link for endless, flexible, self-laying tracks comprising spaced side bars having a main shoe extending between said bars and formed integrally therewith, said shoe being provided with vertical openings to receive bolts for fastening a supplemental shoe in place.

5. A link for endless, flexible, self-laying tracks comprising spaced side bars having a main shoe extending between said bars and formed integrally therewith, said shoe being provided with vertical openings-to receive bolts for fastening a supplemental shoe in place, and a pressed metal shoe of larger area held in place on said main shoe by means of said bolts.

6. A link for endless, flexible, self-laying tracks comprising spaced side bars having a main shoe extending between said bars and formed integrally therewith, said shoe being rovided with vertical openings to receive lts for fastening a supplemental shoe in lace, a ressed metal shoe of lar er area he (1 in p ace on said main shoe y means of said bolts, transverse ribs on said.

main shoe and corresponding grooves on the su plemental shoe to receive said ribs.

A link for endless, flexible, self-la ing tracks comprising spaced side bars each aving openin centrally therein, amain shoe expending tween opposite bars and provided with turned-up sides spaced from the.

said bars, and bosses positioned between the turned-up sides of the shoe and adjacent bar and having vertical openings to receive. bolts for detachably connecting a suppleedges of the tread portions so that the-rail 7 heads are approximately of the same maximum width as the tread portion.

9. A link for endless self-laying tracks, comprising a tread portion and two arallel upstanding open-sided rail webs with rail headscast integral with the tread portion, the webs extending along the marginal side edges of the tread portions so that the rail heads are approximately of the same maximum width as the tread portion, and a removable shoe plate connected'to the tread, the latter having corrugations fitting corresponding grooves in the shoe-plate.

10. A link for endless, flexible, self-laying tracks having a main shoe cast thereon ter minating substantially in line with the exterior sides of the link and forming a seat for a supplemental shoe of larger area, and a pressed metal, supplemental shoe detachably secured in place on said cast shoe and projecting beyond the side: thereof, the front and rear ends of said supplemental shoe being so spaced from the main shoe that the overlapping ends of adjoining track sections are interleaved.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto. set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

' WILLIAM TURNBULL. Witnesses J. G. SMITH, W. J. TALBOT. 

